Hutto Police report staffing gains, falling thefts and priority-1 response time averaging about four minutes

Hutto Police Chief Jeff Yarbrough delivered the department’s first-quarter update Thursday, reporting near-full staffing, falling vehicle-burglary numbers, expanded camera tools and continued training and victim-services growth.

“Currently, we have an authorized staff of 51 officers for the Hutto Police Department. We currently have 2 vacancies,” Yarbrough said, outlining recruits in background and field training and naming three recent hires.

The chief highlighted crime trends: “If you look, we've gone from 29 at from January, March to March, 2024 to 10 here,” he said of burglaries of motor vehicles, citing active investigation and community reporting as factors in the drop. He also said burglaries of buildings and habitations have declined year over year.

Yarbrough credited community reporting and tactical enforcement, then outlined other investments: the department is using “flock” automated license-plate and networked camera tools — four of ten cameras have been installed on city roadways so far — and those systems have already supported arrests for stolen vehicles, thefts from businesses and outstanding-warrant arrests.

Victim services growth and training were other priorities. Yarbrough said the department added two crisis support specialists and noted more than 2,400 combined hours of officer training this year, including defensive tactics and mental-health response instruction. On response time, he told the council priority-1 emergency calls averaged about “4 minutes and 7 seconds,” and overall average across priorities was about six minutes.

Council members thanked the chief and emphasized the need for public cooperation and officer safety. As Mayor Snyder put it during questioning, “treat the officers with respect. You should get the same respect back,” a comment that followed Yarbrough’s description of an incident in which citizens’ horn honks helped prevent a vehicle striking a traffic-directing officer.

Why it matters: The department’s staffing metrics, camera deployment and training programs matter for public safety planning, budget priorities and community expectations. The update also flagged facilities constraints — the department has deployed a ConEx box as temporary office space and is planning interior reconfiguration to create more workspace.

Next steps: Chief Yarbrough and staff will continue recruiting, complete field training for new officers, expand the victim-services program and work with TxDOT and fleet partners to expand camera deployment. The department also plans to complete mandated training by late summer and seek continued council support for equipment and space as the city grows.

Speakers: Chief Jeff Yarbrough; mayor and council members asked questions and praised staff.

Provenance: quarterly report presented during item 9.2 of the May 15, 2025 Hutto City Council meeting.